Luisito (Luis Piedra Buena)

[john sefton]

Luis Piedra Buena was born in Carmen de Patagones (Buenos Aires province) on 24 August 1833 and when 9 years of age embarked as cabin boy in an American saileboat. The ship arrived at Buenos Aires and he stayed 5 years studying in the primary school. In 1847 he met a captain D W Smiley, from EEUU who taught him the profession and sailed with him to the South Seas becoming one of the first Argentines visiting the Antarctic during an expedition for sealing.
After some time in the USA studying at a Nautical School he arrived back in Argentina in the schooner, owned by Smiley, and in 1859 became her captain. In NANCY he rescued several shipwrecked persons on two occasions, and later on in life received deserving decorations and recognition from other nations for the saving of lives at sea.
After acquiring NANCY and establishing a station on Pavon Island for exchanging goods with the Indians. He changed the name of his ship to ESPORA, in homage to the great Captain Brown. He established a refuge for shipwrecked people on Staten Island, because many ships intending to pass Cape Horn were carried there.

At that place, while at anchor on the night of 10 March 1873, a heavy storm dragged the anchors and the ship came to the coast and was sunk. At that moment starts the incredible adventure; with the help of seven of his sailors and eating penguins and seals, using hides for covering, with 2 axes and 2 saws, with pieces of the planks from the ESPORA and some wood he found on the island, he built the LUISITO (named after his first son) in 2 months, using only his 'sailor eye'.
The result was a cutter, with boom, jib and fore staysail, 1 mast and 3 sails, her length was 10.66

meters with a breadth of 3.96 metres and a depth of approx. 2.40 metres, her draught was 1.50 metres, she carried the ESPORA'S anchor and had a displacement of 18 tons. A small but strong ship.
Later she was given the name SAPO (TOAO) by other seamen because of her form.
With this ship they crossed the mouth of the Strait and arrived at Punta Arenas in 11 days. So good was the cutter that they used her for crossing the Strait again to Staten Island for seal, that trip was interrupted to save shipwrecked people from the British brigantine EAGLE who were standing on a rock, and in 1874 Piedra saved the shipwrecked Dr Hansen.
In 1876 Piedra Buena was called to Buenos Aires for consultation about sovereignty in the zone, he sold the ship as he had not enough money to make the trip. This happened at the end of 1875 or early 1876, the time when nothing further is known about the LUISITO.
The National Navy Museum has a painting of the ship and other works of the artist Merchant Captain Biggeri, designer of many of the best Argentine 'ships on stamps' and for many years a River Plate Pilot.

By Mario F Rosner, Log BookMarch 1996.
Argentina SG1472

[Arturo]

Better scan of Luisito